VAL pushes boundaries and creates innovative art spaces at night

As a youngster, Matthew Boubille never felt like he fit in. He had a hairy, masculine body that he didn’t think matched his outgoing personality.

For him, drag became a way to explore his feminine side. As part of that exploration, he went to his first event organized by Vancouver Art and Leisure about a year ago. At first, he dressed, as he said, in classic drag: big make up and big hair.

Over time, as he kept going to VAL events, his persona changed. In the inviting atmosphere created by Matt Troy and his team, Boubille has been able to develop his own personal style as Poison Apple, a fairy-tale drag character that combines the innocence of Snow White with the coldness of The Evil Queen. He draws inspiration from Hollywood stars such as Joan Crawford and the fictional characters they portrayed. His look includes corsets and vintage dresses from the 1950s and 1960s.

But what really sets him apart from traditional drag is what appears to be a contradiction in how he looks. Unlike some versions of femininity, he doesn’t appear with a shaved body. Leaving hair on his arms, legs and face is a way for him to play with ideas about gender and appearance.

“A lot of conventional drag queens try to put on the illusion of being a woman,” he said.

“For me, I’m doing this as a man. I kind of always say ‘I’m not in drag but exploring who I am more.’”

His first exposure to what he called an artistically based nightlife group was going to a VAL event as a 20-year-old. He found it different from a traditional gay club where people are quick to apply labels.

“As I kept going, I kept getting better at what I did,” he said. “Matt took notice. Since then, I’ve been hosting a good portion of all the mainly gay events.”

Boubille was working at VAL during Backdoor Hallowe’en on Friday, Oct. 30 – a party that has since become a watershed event in Vancouver nightlife.

One of the reasons VAL events have attracted such a diverse crowd of gay, straight and queer people is that everyone knows you can party and express yourself without having to worry about embarrassing photos turning up on Facebook later that night. In fact, abiding by the no photography rule has become one of the most important rules at VAL which is also in operation at fetish events in Vancouver.

“I know that a lot of people enjoy it because you go in and there is no photography allowed,” he said. “It’s a very comfortable area and it’s clearly stated what is allowed and what isn’t.”

At Backdoor that night, a private investigator was hired to record activity in areas marked with signs that clearly stated “no photography whatsoever.”

A video released to the media showed people having sex. As well, the PI claimed that people were being observed alcohol, doing drugs and smoking cigarettes.

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Initially, the person responsible for the PI tried to remain anonymous. But he was quickly identified as Bijan Ahmadian, owner-operator of the newly re-opened gay club The Odyssey.

It didn’t take long for people to see for themselves what was going on. It looked like a classic example of a rival trying to take down the competition. The problem was, it didn’t work. On social media, there was an outpouring of support for VAL and criticism of what Ahmadian did.

*Hannah Foslien /
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I contacted Ahmadian by email to try to get his side of the story. He replied by email saying he wasn’t giving interviews. He sent a prepared statement which I’m not going to quote. If you want to find out what he’s said, his response in part is here.

I’m writing about what happened to VAL because I first wrote about the organization in 2014 shortly after its launch party. Troy began VAL because he wanted to shake up the art party scene by creating a place for experimental art, music and performance. I’d been to an earlier event he co-curated called Camera/Whore and liked it a lot.

I’ve never been to a VAL event (it’s past my bedtime) but I was totally surprised at the way VAL was singled out. Troy and VAL are trying to push the boundaries of what’s allowed in Vancouver’s nightlife.

What VAL is doing is at the forefront of change. Troy and VAL are not only pushing the boundaries of what’s considered acceptable, they’re also creating diverse spaces for people to explore and express themselves.

Jamie Bell (aka Cocobae Swooshh), for example, does freelance styling but her main focus is to promote emerging artists in fashion, design, and occasionally music. Bell has done four VAL events. The idea for each one is to produce unique visuals for each night and a performance art element such as a drag show. She books female and queer acts that tend to be under represented in the nightclub scene.

She contrasts at VAL with her experiences at several local nightclubs where there isn’t always a welcoming atmosphere for women.

“There are so many times where I go to set up my visuals that I’ve made myself or set up the music that I know how to set up. Immediately, there is a tech person looking for my boyfriend to ask a question. People just assume that I don’t know how to finish my own concepts.”

“VAL has been a really good space for me to work in as a woman,” she said. “I’ve always felt safe, respected. I’ve never felt defensive there so I’ve been able to do really good stuff.”

*Mark van Manen /
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VAL’s next event is Saturday, Dec. 26. Called SPANK, the Boxing Day party is the first for VAL since the video was released to the media by Ahmadian. It’s a joint effort with Sin City which runs a fetish event monthly and on special occasions such as New Year’s. Sin City is one of the longest running special event nights in Vancouver.

Isaac Terpstra, founder of Sin City, said fetish nights didn’t always have to have such rigid rules around photography. When Sin City started 14 years ago, the potential mix of the Internet, social media and camera phones didn’t exist.

Back then, taking a photo in low light conditions in a night club was so difficult it was almost impossible to do well. Not anymore. Now, of course, a potentially embarrassing photo can go viral 20 minutes after it’s taken and posted online.

“We have off duty fireman, mayoral candidates – people whose jobs and livelihoods could, certainly, and undeservedly be ruined by unfair judgment on what they do.”

Along with no photography, the other important rule at fetish events is a dress code. Terpstra describes a fetish party as a modern, dress-up events for adults where people can indulge their sexual desires freely without judgment.

“I liken it to a private adult Halloween party where everyone is really cool about sex and all the kids and minors have gone away – all the time, every time,” he said.

As in previous SPANK events with VAL,cameras are banned “100 per cent.

“No ifs ands, or buts,” he said.

What especially bothered Terpstra was the way the video released by Ahmadian’s focussed on sex. He said the city has new regulations that allow consensual sex at city sanctioned events such as Sin City. What he found upsetting was that the private investigator violated the rule of a consenting space.

“It was so clear that it was another event sabotaging another event for profit – which is completely disgusting,” Terpstra said.

Yet Terpstra said despite the negative way Backdoor was portrayed, it has focussed more attention on gay and sex positive culture in Vancouver.